We extend to you a cordial "WELCOME ABOARD !" Come on in, make yourself at home, we are a friendly group of enthusiasts, and we also appreciate the classic Chris Craft Roamer, Corsair, and Lancer boats too , as they are all on the same family tree and share much in common ! Just start by posting a note introducing yourself to the group, that's all it takes here (we don't ask for or retain any personal information here, because our intention is to just "have fun and share information".

Re: Attention dreamers ! New SOHC 427 for sale,

The Cammer was childs-play for Ford........

May 6 2011, 11:52 AM

The SOHC 427 Cammer was no big deal for Ford. It was more of a high dollar power play between Henry Ford and Bill France of NASCAR, and the fact that Henry knew he could win just about anything if he wanted to, because he had the money to outspend anyone! Enzo Ferrari found that out, after Mr. Ford spent a gazillion dollars developing a car that would dominate LeMans.

Henry Ford didn't like the fact that Chrysler was allowed to run a new hemi motor that was clearly an all-race custom motor and not anything a customer could actually buy in a showroom car. Bill France finally relented and banned the hemi until it was proven to be a production motor.

When the single overhead cam 427 was initially shown to Bill France at NASCAR he was not too happy about it. He wanted to put the brakes on the horsepower war because he feared the suspensions and tires, and the race tracks too, would not be able to handle much more power than they were allready racing. Ford was serious about this motor, began selling them to the general public, started production, and Bill France balked. He banned the motor with some sort of a trumped up reason, and when Ford showed him they were really serious and were actually in production, then he begrudgingly actually allowed Ford to run the motor, but with a severe weight penalty.

Part of the beauty of the original 427 was the fact that it is a light weight motor using "thinwall casting techniques" developed at Ford, which included allowing the blocks to cool slowly in an oven to avoid core shifting of the cylinders. As a result, having a big motor that was also light in weight, allowed the cars to handle better and also allowed the tires to last longer. So when Ford heard about all the weight Bill France wanted them to add to their cars, they realized then how futile it would be having a super powerful motor in a heavy car. Fuel milage would have also been an issue too.

Because of Ford engine technology of the day was already WAY beyond the capability of the 427 Cammer, we can only wonder what Ford would have done if the horsepower war actually was allowed to continue. Just look at what they did with a 255 cubic inch engine that was producing 825 horses back in 1964!

(Ford Racing Archives) Dearborn, Michigan, 1964. The sophisticated Ford DOHC Indy V8 engine -- pictured in a studio shot -- was designed to win the Indianapolis 500, and it would power Jim Clark to his victory at The Speedway in 1965. It started out as a 255 cubic inch, normally aspirated V8 which delivered 376HP @ 7,200 RPM, but by the end of its life -- when the engine program had been handed over to the care of A.J. Foyt -- it was reduced to 160 cubic inches of displacement and turbocharged to deliver over 825HP @ 9,600 RPM.

Oh and don't forget the DOHC Ford V8 of 18 liters, that Ford built for the Sherman Tank in WW-II. The Sherman tank should have been diesel for safety but for some reason the US decided it should get a gas engine and this is what FoMoCo came up with. Now THAT would make one heck of a motor for a Chris Craft Commander !!!!!!!!!!

A guy actually installed one of these in his Ford truck, ha, what a sense of humor!

The WW-II Ford DOHC V8, this is what I need in my 38 Commander (a pair of em)!

That tank engine

You're not going to believe THIS ( in a Mustang car )

May 6 2011, 2:39 PM

During World War II, Ford developed an aircraft engine similar to that of the Rolls Royce/Merlin and Allison engines of that era. It was a 60 degree V-12, all aluminum (block & heads), dual over cam, 4 valve engine. This engine was built to typical aircraft standards: Light as possible with total reliability and performance in mind. Everything is safety wired or staked with incredible attention to detail on every part. However, this engine never went into production as an aircraft engine.

The Army needed an engine for their new Sherman Tank, however the requirement was that it had to be reduced down to a v8. So Ford lopped off 4 cylinders and it went into production as a v8. This was not a problem, as Henry Ford pioneered the V-8 anyways. The engine was standard in about 13,000 of the 49,000 Sherman Tanks.

This engine is equipped with dual Stromberg 2 bbl carbs, dual magnetos (one for each cylinder bank), exhaust manifolds, water pump, fuel pump, carb linkage, etc. It also equipped with a large aluminum bellhousing, heavy flywheel and super duty dual disc tank clutch. The camshafts are gear driven, but not like that of a Ford 427 SOHC. Rather, they have shafts (1 for each bank) that has another gear on the other end driving both cams simultaneously. Ford actually produced 3 versions of this engine, the GAA, GAF & GAN but the differences were very minor, consisting primarily of different carb types and different governors.

2 x Ford GAA Sherman Tank engines for sale

November 29 2016, 3:47 AM

Hi Paul,

I have seen this posting today, made in 2011 in which you (probably joke) mention you would like a couple of these for 18lt V8 Ford GAA engines for your Commander, well I have a pair of them and I might sell them if you are serious.

I am about to ship them to Australia for a boat project ( I have 4x GAA's all together )

But it would be just as easy to ship 2 somewhere else before incurring shipping costs to Australia.

They will probably run with a little tickling and I have a bunch of spares and have tracked down a supplier of gaskets sets, pistons, bearings etc if required.

They make in std form about 1000 ftlb of torque at 1000 rpm and 525hp at about 2600 rpm , but with some love they will rev to 4500-5000 and make 1000hp, 2-3000 hp with turbos

anyway if you are interested, let me know in the next 7days and we can do a deal, if not they will probably end up in a vintage hydro and a salt lake racer.

The things dreams are made of !

What an amazing motor. It is possible two would fit in a 38 Commander but not without extensive and full tear out of everything within the hull forward of the shaft logs, assuming they would stay in place, but even then the shafts may need re-installation to new centerlines to keep motors from touching sides of the hull. Im sure just one engine could power a 38; PARDON ME uses a single Packard PT engine, its a real bear to dock, thus the name.

Please send is some photos . Also, what is the history of the motors, did they see service. Are they rebuilt spares, new old surplus stock, and where can parts be found? There must be an underground network of suppliers and traders